MK Dons' Dele Alli Wins Young Player of the Year

MK Dons' Dele Alli has been named the Football League Young Player of the Year.

Alli received the award at the gala ceremony at The Brewery, London, on Sunday evening in front of over 600 guests from clubs, sponsors and the football industry.

The Football League Awards 2015 mark the 10th year of the awards, which celebrate on and off pitch excellence across The League's 72 clubs. This year all 72 clubs were nominated for at least one award.

Alli beat competition from Middlesbrough's Patrick Bamford and Norwich City's Nathan Redmond to claim the overall Young Player of the Year Award.

Alli has had an outstanding season for Milton Keynes Dons, becoming a key figure in Karl Robinson's promotion-chasing side. The 19-year-old joined the Dons' Academy aged 11 before making his debut as a 16 year old. His form at the heart of the side's midfield this season, in which he has scored 15 goals including a hat-trick against Crewe Alexandra, resulted in him signing for Tottenham Hotspur in the last transfer window before being loaned back to the Dons. This season also saw Alli selected for the England U19's for the first time, having previously represented his country at Under 18 and Under 17 level.

On winning the award, Alli said: "Just want to say a massive thank you to my team mates. Everything I've achieved this year has been down to them. The manager and all the staff have backed me 100% and put so much faith and trust in me - and obviously my family for all their support. I'm not going to get too carried away, I'm just going to keep working hard, keep my head down, being professional on and off the pitch, doing as well as I can."

Presented to the best player in The Football League under the age of 21, or in the season in which he turns 21, the Young Player of the Year award celebrates the emergence of young playing talent at The League's 72 clubs.

Shaun Harvey, Chief Executive of The Football League, said: "The 10th Football League Awards has given us the opportunity to reward outstanding performance, both on and off the pitch, during what has been a memorable Football League season.

"Each of our winners thoroughly deserves this recognition and, once again, we've seen exceptional levels of talent, dedication and achievement across all our nominees."